Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1887-01-20


withdrew. The brief evening passed; Mr..
had offered up his ..evening family prayer,
and he then sang hymn, while his wife
accompanied him on the organ.
"What is that2" he asked, when he had
! finished. Both listened, and heard the
tramp in the kitchen singing verse Of the
same hymn.
He is o queer fellow" said the wife.
"He refused my offer Of a bed over the
kitchen, and wants you to show him the
hay NOW. He said he had been sailor,
and couldn't sleep in bed. And to hear
him singing that hymn after you"
Mr.. Seymour started at her words, and
walked the floor. Then, remarking that he
would go and show him his bed in the
barn, he left the room. His wife was
weaiied with the household labors OF the
long summer day, and retired to bed. Be
fore her husband returned she was sleeping
soundly.
There was no sleep for Wellington Sey-
mour on that long remembered night The
face and the voice of the tramp etfectually
drove slumber from his pillow, weal1ed as
\ ne wu~.- wren ne Suoweu nm 10 MS nest
| in the barn he had asked his name, but the
man shook his head.
"Name!" he cried, "what should want
of a namep Names are for people who can
| honor them. / suppose l had one, once;
| but have pretty near forgotten 1t.
| The farmer walked the floor of the
sitting room for an hour, trying 10 compose
! himself, and to drive that face and that
voice from his mind The effort was use
| less, but it had so added to his exhaustion
that he hoped he might sleep, and so he
lay down on the lounge. In vain; he
could not sleep. The clock struck twelve.
/ 4. h,,k OF
| lay awake.
| Exhausted in body and mind, he rose and
went out into the open air. There was
brilliant harvest moon in the heavens, and
| he saw from the side piazza dark figure
moving slowly down the hillside back OF
the house, and across the fields. He watch
cd the movements of this figure, and was
surprised to see it advancing straight to-
ward his outbuildings. When the man
was hidden from sight behind the barn,
Mr.. Seymour cautiously started out to re-
connoiter. He placed his hand on the
mans arm just as he was entering the barn
door. 1t was the tramp.
"What does this mean, sirH" he sternly
| demanded.
@Don't be alarmed" said the man. "Tm
neither house breaker nor barn-burner,
assure you. But-but, many years ago
used TO know this neighbour ood, and
haven't seen it for thirty years. couldn't
sleep a wink tonight, and started to rove
round-for that's my disposition. I've
been all over your farm, and q fine place it
| is. And 1 see you've a cemetery up there
on the hill. It's your first wife, / take
it, and your two children that are buried
there?"
| "Yes."
"Then you've seen sorrow as well as
prosperity"
"God knows I have!" Seymour answered.
with great sob. "My very heart strings
were torn by the loss of the three who fill
those graves"
"Well, we'll; life is pretty much the same
sorrow everywhere. Good highland,
| for that matter, good-by. / shall be out OF
van yoHr aS hsY ond IN tho -e"d Ion" hNfe-o
Mr.. Seymour's face showed great sur
prise, and not only surprise, but relief.
| He eyed the man sharply for moment,
and then thrust his hand into his pocket.
Here is five dollars" he said. Take it;
you are welcome TO it,"
The tramp took the money. He waited
until the farmer was out of sight, and then
threw it down and stamped on it. while
something like an oath broke from his lips.
Presently he grew calmer, picked up the
money, and put it in his pocket, and
clambered up again to his bed in the hay.
Mr.. Seymour was still unable to sleep.
About daylight he heard the click of the
gate latch, and, peering through the blinds
of the open window, he saw the tramp
standing outside. He stood there notion
less for at least five minutes, and appeared
to be taking survey of the entire prem
ises. Then he turned and moved off down
the road.
A look of intense relief came to the far
mer's tired face.
"I was foolish to be so disturbed" he
thought; merely an accidental resem-
blance." Then ne lay down to sleep; and
when the breakfast bell rang, an hour later,
he was in q sound slumber.
Wellington Seymour awakened, ate his
meal, and went out among the harvesters,
like one who has escaped from threaten
ing peril, and who can hardly realize the
fact of his escape. All that had happened
to him since the previous evening seemed
like an unpleasant dream. The men in
the field remarked that he was whole hour
late-something before unheard of-and
that he did not talk as usual. At ten
o'clock Dr. Boards horse and buggy dashed
up the road and halted opposite the field
where they we're oil at work. Mr.. Sey-
, mour went instantly out TO the road, with 9
premonition that he was urgently wanted.
IL was even so. The messenger told him
that at Old6eld Crossing, an hour before,
tramp had tried to catch q ride
on freight train; that he had fallen under
the wheels, and was now dying, with botl
legs crushed; and that he had begged til,
doctor 10 send at once for Wellington Sey.
mour, for he could not die without seeing
him.
Mr.. Seymour waited not an Instant no
even to put on his coat, which he had lef
: back in the field. He took his seat in the
buggy, and in thirty minutes the fleet ami
NAL had brought him TO the station. Al
excited crowd blocked the entrance to thu
, freight house. Doctor Beard and severa
Others came forward as Mr.. Seymour
stepped to the ground.
@Ife cant live half an hour" said III,
doctor. IT sent for you, because he call
for YOU oil the time-and he seems 10 be il
his right mind, too. Who do you thinl
he is2"
"He is my brother" said Mr.. Seymour.
"The crowd fell back as he advanced
3 and in moment he aud the doctor wer
( alone with tho dying tramp. A sheet hat
been thrown over his mangled limbs. Hi
8 fading eyes lighted as he saw Mr.. Seymou
by his side, and he held out his hand =
5 him.
"You didn't know me last night, Yelling
ton2" he said.
i "No, wlnfeld-not surely; but 1 sus
pected. Why didn't you tell newly nc
: speak out2"
"And make you miserableP-y an
Y your wife, and that dear child, whose fac
is SO like our mother'sl Is she not lik
her, Wellington"
/ 4 n.